[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian":3,"chapter-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-720":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Surviving the Game as a Barbarian",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1327947,1764,"Chapter 720: Audience (3)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-720",720,"\u003Cp>At first, I couldn’t believe my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I really hear that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frozen in shock, unable \u002FN_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t\u002F to control my expression, I then wondered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How does the King of Ruin know Korean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I racked my brain for an answer, but shock clouded my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if dozens of ninjas had suddenly appeared from the ceiling and walls, it wouldn’t have been this overwhelming...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get a grip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling myself together, I focused on the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first possibility that came to mind was this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin is a Korean-born evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was just the first thought that flashed through my head — quickly disproven by what the King said next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you so stiff about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it again, his Korean was awkward, almost like a white man fumbling for paper towels in a bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, a more plausible second theory formed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin is neither Korean nor an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just learned Korean and can speak it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe some ‘someone’ pulled into this world from a game taught him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, I could accept the idea of the elevator too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm, I thought you’d have guessed this by now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if he understood how such things came to be in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin dropped the awkward Korean accent and spoke in his native tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem more naïve than I expected. But that’s natural. Why do you treat corporations that develop advanced technology like aliens to be tortured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We were just the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe he was right; I had been naïve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not everyone in this barbaric world is unintelligent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wouldn’t burn a witch or execute an evil spirit from another dimension without cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wouldn’t be rational.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s much more than meets the eye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evil spirit community, the Ghost Busters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not all evil spirits belong to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first line of a letter I received said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This letter is sent randomly to an explorer presumed to be a player.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These spirits survived in this world, excelled in their fields, and got invitations to join the community — a rare few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the tip of an iceberg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many more modern humans were pulled here than I know, including those with expert knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were those who could build machines powered by electricity or steam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they couldn’t risk revealing those secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family, with its secret police, caught and researched these spirits for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much knowledge could they have gained? How far could they have advanced those technologies?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw the fruits of that firsthand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the King of Ruin seated on the throne pressed a button, a familiar melody played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the instrumental differed slightly from what I knew, it was recognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A famous British band’s song wishing for all to proceed as destined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing the song came from a ‘speaker’ in the audience chamber’s corner, I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing my expression, the King of Ruin asked calmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why that face?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As if you’ve seen some magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head was numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That phrase couldn’t capture my state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like watching proof that your loved one cheated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trust betrayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...How can science exist in fantasy?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in the world of [Dungeon & Stone], which I’ve enjoyed for ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know this song?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An American sang and recorded it. So it feels different from the original. But what can you do? Those who heard say it captures the original’s spirit well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, as the King of Ruin said, I just asked bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What happened to that American?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No point pretending to be barbaric now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He already knew I was not just an evil spirit but a Korean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your tone got shorter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weren’t you the one wanting frank talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! Looks like your brain really did turn barbarian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Answer me...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... let me see...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trailing off, the guard beside him answered instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dimension Technology Department reported no useful information remaining on the subject and disposed of it immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, so that’s what happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that indifferent mutter, I realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other media—novels, comics—modern humans summoned here are main characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Natives only play side roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reality is different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true protagonists are those spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to them, we’re just a small part of the world, a mere ‘event.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, I painfully grasped that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Is that why you exterminate evil spirits? To capture and steal their technology?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gritted my teeth asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small laugh came from behind the silk curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not. Evil spirits must vanish from this world—that’s an unchanging truth. We just took some incidental benefits during that process.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, the fox riding the tiger is also angry about the ‘evil spirits.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fox riding a tiger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned at the vague reference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? You don’t know about that yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I can’t tell you here. Stories are most enjoyable when heard firsthand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no intention to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from context, the ‘fox’ probably means the prime minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that’s not the point now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of asking about the fox, I brought up something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you said ‘her’ earlier, did you mean the witch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does ‘chosen’ mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No reason to answer, so wrong, barbarian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were the one who wanted frank talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t I being frank? I’m the king, after all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin was far different from how I imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never expected a king to be this casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, better than being arrogant and condescending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe, like Ibaekho, he just tries to lower his opponent’s guard.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, no matter the tone, he was still a ‘king.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being who could erase everything I had with a single gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes crisis is opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today I might step closer to the secret of this world I’ve been chasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You were chosen by her. If I kill you, she’d be angry. How could I do that?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If what he said was true, my safety was guaranteed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I decided to take a more active stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why have you been hiding behind illness all this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d use this chance to keep questioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No harm if no answers, but even one clue would be a gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? I’m not hiding. I just sleep a lot and haven’t gone out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sleep...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin replied like it was a bother, not a secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t push further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one thing caught my attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called me “Bjorn Yandel, junior baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not baron, junior baron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that wasn’t just a slip or memory lapse...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he really had only known my past because he had been sleeping?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Maybe there are still restrictions even when awake.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though speculation, given who he was, the info was precious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you call me here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strange question. Do thieves entering through the back door usually ask that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you’re the one who summoned me to the audience chamber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? True. But I’m curious how you got out of there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No other intentions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There was one thing I wanted to check, but it’s done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you have no more business here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, not exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Then tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later. You know, the best part of a meal is saved for last.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t agree; I always eat the best part first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it might not be there later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, enough of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you behind this war?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I’m a victim. I didn’t know everything, but I definitely didn’t lead it. Satisfied?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then who’s behind it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s related to the best part, so later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Answering my bombardment quickly, the King suddenly cut me off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you asking too many questions? I’ll answer just one last one. But I won’t answer any that betray too much conscience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last question...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the tone, the important stuff won’t be revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, what’s a reasonable last question, staying within bounds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After brief thought, I spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you answer each of my questions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the witch, the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe questions more valuable than distant lands’ stories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King of Ruin answered from behind the silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an extremely casual tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s better to persuade than threaten, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I expected it, but this king was definitely a loose screw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I’m trying persuasion first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before telling you I’ll dispose of everyone you know if you don’t obey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling while threatening is still threatening.\u003C\u002Fp>",1420,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","6ad54c748e5ff080c78c2cfc5c4ac4c20b720433c9ea53eb6236b4e1e74d2ff3","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-721","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-719",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]